Reversing-trolley



(No Model.)

H. P. ROBERTS. REVERSING TROLLEY.

Patented Mar. 11, 1890.

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` in its vertical position.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY P. ROBERTS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

REVERSING-TROLLEY..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 422,976, dated March11, 1890.

Application iiled November 14, 1889- Serial No. 330,348. (No model.)

To all whom' t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY P. ROBERTS, a citizen ot the United States,residing in Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways,of which the following is a speciication.`

My invention relates to electric railways in which the current ofelectricityis supplied to motors on the vehicles through anoverheadconductor.

The invention has special reference to the collector or trolley, incombination with the overhead conductor arranged in a peculiar manner,whereby the trolley or trolley-arm is rendered automatically reversible.

The invention consists, essentially, of a trolley-arm having atendencyto assume a ver; tical-position and carrying an undercontacttrolley, in combination with an overhead conductor having asection or short length inclined upward and ruiming to a height aboutequal to the height of the trolley-arm when These inclined sections ofthe conductor are located at both ends of the line ot' road and at anyintermediate points where it is desirable that the vehicles shouldreverse their direction of travel. So far as known to me there is noother automatically-reversing under contacttrolley in existence. As iswell known, the

trolley-arm, which carries an under contacttrolley, usually standsoblique to the top of the vehicle and the conductor and inclinedbackward from the direction of motion of the vehicle. Heretofore theunder contact-trolleys have been reversed by hand and involved the useof a cord or system of rods and levers to iirst lower the trolley out ofcontact with the conductor and to then reverse its incline and againplace it in contact with the conductor. In the dark or during a stormthisis quite a difficult operation and often is the cause of aconsiderable loss ot' time, trouble, and other inconvenience. It will beseen that my invention entirely obviates this difculty. IV

will describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure l represents a partial view of a car or vehicle fitted with atrolley bearing against an inclined section of the conductor at the endofthe road and showing a short length of conductor arranged horizontallyat the highest level ofthe incline. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the sameapparatus, but with a stop fixed upon the inclined conductor to limitthe movement of the trolley and to aid inits reversal. Fig. 3 isa viewof adouble incline placed at intermediate points along the line of road,and Fig. 4 is a View of a detail.

A represents a car or other vehicle carrying an electric motor which issupplied by electricity from the overhead conductor B through trolley Cand trolley-arm C. The conductor is suitably supported in a hori/,ontalposition by posts D or other means; but at therend of the line of roadand at points where the vehicles reverse their direction of movement theconductor is inclined for a length, say, of about thirty feet. Theinclines at each end of the road lead upward toward the end and willusually be made single; but those inclines located at intermediatepoints will be double-that is to say, iirst up and then down-as shown inFig. 3. Now, the under contact-trolley, which l have shown in operation,when in its normal running position is inclined backward, and thetendency imparted to it by the two springs c c is to force it upwardagainst the conductor, and, if left free, to make it assume a verticalposition, or rather a position perpendicular to the roof of the vehicle;hence lwhen the trolley runs onto one of these inclines in the conductoras it progresses it will gradually rise to its perpendicular positionand at the same time. maintain its electrical contactwith the conductor.Now, if the car is brought to a standstill as soon as the trolley-armbecomes vertical, it is obvious that the motor maybe reversed and thevehicle started off in the opposite direction or upon its return-trip,the trolley-arm being gradually forced to its backwardly-inclinedposition as it runs down the incline of the conductor. Ordinarily theinclines will be constructed as illustrated in Figs. l and t-that is,witha short section b, say two or three feet-of horizontal conductor atthe elevation where the trolley-arm is vertical, and astop may be placedupon the cartrack or any other means used to bring the car to astandstill in the proper position.

In the several figures the trolley arms (shown in full lines) illustratethe positions IOO when traveling up the inclines or toward thereversing-point, while the dotted lines in all instances show thetrolley traveling down the incline after reversal or in its verticalposition and ready to move in either direction.

Fig. 3 shows the arrangement ofthe conductor providing for intermediatereversingpoints. In this case the incline is double, one side running upto the short horizontal section b and the other side running from thatdownward to the normal level. With this construction, when the trolleyis resting in contact with the section h, it is in a neutral position,where the vehicle may move in either direction without a manipulation ofthe trolley. From this it is obvious that the inclined lines atintermediate points do not affect the continuous running of the carspast them, while on the other hand they furnish a ready means forreversal. By placing an adjustable stop in the form of a ball of brassor rubber upon the incline, as shown at b', at the point where thetrolley-arm becomes vertical the `incline may be continued a littlehigher to allow for trolleys of varyin g lengths. Besides this the ballaids somewhat in reversing the trolley.

As a further means for compensating for variations in the heights of thetrolleys, due perhaps to inequalities in the road-bed or inaccuracy inthe construction of the vehicles or trolley-arms, I propose to make theshort length of conductor b a tri'lie slack, so that the wire will bearwith its weight upon the trolley; or, in lieu of this, the slack wiremay be substituted bya short length of coiled conductor forming a springhaving a resiliency lighter than the force controlling the trolleyarm.This is shown in Fig. 4.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. In an electric railway, anoverhead conductor supported at intervals by suitable means, one or moreof the supporting-points being at a diierent elevation from the othersupporting-points, in combination with a moving vehicle and atrolley-arm secured to the vehicle and carrying an undercontact-trolley, said trolley-arm having the tendency to assumeaposition perpendicular to the line of movement of the vehicle,substantially as described.

2. In an electric railway, an overhead conductor supported by suitabledevices substantially parallel with the road-bed, the supportin g-pointsat the extremities of the line being arranged at a higher elevation thanthe other supports of the line, in combination with a moving vehiclevand a trolley-arm secured to the vehicle and carrying an undercontacttrolley, said contact-arm having the tendency to assume aposition perpendicular to the line of movement of the vehicle,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with an overhead conductor, of an undercontact-trolley arm carried by a moving vehicle, said arm normallystanding oblique to the conductor and having a tendency to assume aperpendicular position, said overhead conductor having portions of itslength at intervals arranged at an ineline, the highest point of whichis the height to which the trolley-arm reaches when in a positionperpendicular to the line of movement of the vehicle, for the purposedescribed.

4. The combination, with an overhead conductor, of an undercontact-trolley arm carried by a moving Vehicle, said arm normallystanding oblique to the conductor and having a tendency to assume aperpendicular position, a portion of the overhead conductor beingarranged to form two inclined lengths meeting each other at theirhighest point, this point being the height to which the trolley-armextends when in a position perpendicular to the line of movement of thevehicle, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with an overhead conductor, of an undercontact-trolley arm carried by a moving vehicle, said arm normallystanding oblique to the conductor and hav- ,ing a tendency to assume aperpendicular position,a portion of the overhead conductor beingarranged to form two inclined lengths meeting at their highest points ashort length of conductor parallel to the road-bed, the height of saidshort length being the height to which the 4trolley-arm extends when ina position perpendicular to the line of movement of the vehicle, as andfor the purpose set forth.

= In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

- HENRY P. ROBERTS.

. Vitnesses:

J. E. ROBERTS,

CHARLES M. WILLIAMS.

IOO

